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Great news from Hasbro UK

In my priveleged position as Editor I am told a great number of things ending in the phrase But don't report it just yet... But after being given an official nod I have this to tell you!

TPU is always proud to be associated with any official body involved in the Star Wars universe, and especially with Hasbro UK. So I am delighted to anounce that Hasbro UK are launching a special site very soon dedicated to Star Wars collectors in the UK. This site has much to offer, and will include the chance to chat with Hasbro UK staff involved in the Star Wars licence, competitions to win exclusive prizes (25th Anniversary Vader perhaps?) and much much more!

Hasbro UK have been accused of not listening to the Star Wars fans in the UK, but no longer! Keep checking back with TPU for more news on this as it comes in.

A special thanks to Claire for keeping me updated

So hopefully this means we will get a chance to bag some of these exclusive fanclub figures at the same time as the Americans or shortly afterwards. It also gives us a real channel to access Hasbro and let them know how we feel and what our probl;ems are. Plus to give positive feedback where it's due. But it sounds like a real breakthrough for UK collectors as long as it's put together right. I don't know about you but I heaved a tiny sigh or semi relief when I read that report. My faith in Hasbro was pretty much shattered this last couple of years but this does seem like a real step forward in the right direction. Hope it all pans out okay.

Phew

I agree - I always feel like the thick, under-privelidged cousin by the way they seem to treat us. What with the (apparentyl unavoidable) price difference issues I mentioned in the saga forum, as well as a distribution system that has apparently left us with just peg-warmers after only 7 days!!!

Looks to be good news. I just hope it isn't a flashin thepan idea which dies out after a few months. It might even convince Hasbro that there is a large market in the UK and we might see a renewed interest from Hasbro to supply the harder to find stuff.

Bit of a stab in the dark but it would be nice to see the store exclusives from the US being made availale to us through a UK fan club. It would be nice to stop having to resort to scalper prices to get these.

My greatest fear is that it is just quick diversion tactic to deflect heat from the farce of the Shuttle incident and criticisms of the AOTC line. We can but hope.

I heard that too from the private universe earlier this year. Apparently we get our stocks later than the US but we should at least see some arrive, trouble is that there's no cohesive front for UK collectors and no-one seems able to tell it straight. What I'd like from hasbro UK is delivery dates and stock breakdowns so we actually know what to expect and can plan our buying. I hate just ambling into a store in the vain hope that maybe there might be something interesting. If we know which stores are going to get what and when we can budget and buy at the cheaper prices of regular stores instead of having to pay exorbitant sums at collector fairs and scalper shops.

But I agree that the UK website is useless unless it offers a way to get the exclusives at a decent whack. What's the point of the website otherwise? So we can talk to the people who work for the company? So we can dump endless want lists on them? I'm slightly sceptical about all of this and it seems you guys are too. I think this is what seperates us from our US cousins mostly - we don't have that puppy dog blind faith that so many do. Guess we've had more experience at being shafted by big companies. Or maybe we're just that little bit sharper and more canny. HEHE that's going to get me into trouble i can see it now. The wrath of ired Americans will rain down upon me like furious hell fire. Well, it wouldn't be the first time. :happy:

Actually hasbro do listen y'know. I pointed out to them that their website looked poo on my PC because they made the site background clear instead of white and LO! they went and changed the background colour. So they do walk among us quietly reading and listening and probably getting irate with me and laughing at some of the ridiculous posts. Hopefully the UK site might have a discussion board on it. That'd be better than just an e-mail contact. Although obviously for legal reasons (copyright) they can't actually respond to ideas suggestions for toys in case they use it and we sue them or something. By not responding they avoid liability because they can legitimately say they had the idea independently. So no copyright issues can arise. Clever huh?

Well, here's the skinny, hasbro have just unveiled their new collectors site and it's a very dull affair if I may say so. More suited to businessmen who still want to be little boys with their toys rather than the average collector I know. It looks like a retarded corporate site rather than a welcoming fanbase meeting place. But then again, it is going to offer the chance to win a figure made in your own image and offer the toyfair vader and the Celebration figure of Lucas to us Brits. I guess I'm being harsh so I don't get too excited by the shine of the new site. It's very shiny.

here's the address: http://www.hasbrojedi.co.uk/index.php# go take a look and register for the chance to win the competition and get a figure made of yourself as a Jedi. Refer a friend or five and get the chance to win a toyfair vader. enjoy.......

Rebelscum say that they're gonna have a Q and A with the Hasbo UK brand manager tomorrow, maybe this will clear up some of the questions we're all thinking of.
I'd particularly like to see exclusives available, and news of when and where we can expect new waves of figures.